Method

Abstract

To improve a technique that enables users to smoothly get into seats of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A method is executed by a terminal device including an input unit, an output unit, a communication unit that communicates with a control device that controls a vehicle, and a control unit. The method includes: the control unit acquiring slide information indicating whether at least one of a plurality of seats provided in the vehicle is capable of sliding via the communication unit; outputting the slide information via the output unit; accepting a user's designation of a seat to be targeted for sliding of the at least one seat via the input unit; generating instruction information that gives an instruction to slide the seat designated by the user; and transmitting the instruction information to the control device via the communication unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, vehicles equipped with multiple rows of seats are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with three rows of seats, which is provided with a buckle switch for detecting whether or not a seat belt is fastened. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-067248 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order for a user to get into a rear seat of a vehicle with multiple rows of seats, the user must move the seat in front of the rear seat each time, which may be inconvenient for the user. Thus, there is room for improvement in technology that allows users to smoothly get into the seats of a vehicle with multiple rows of seats.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve technology that enables a user to smoothly enter a vehicle seat. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a method executed by a terminal device having an input unit, an output unit, a communication unit that communicates with a control device that controls a vehicle, and a control unit, and includes the control unit acquiring slide information indicating whether at least one of a plurality of seats provided in the vehicle is capable of sliding via the communication unit, outputting the slide information via the output unit, accepting a user's designation of a seat to be targeted for sliding among the at least one seat via the input unit, generating instruction information instructing the user to slide the seat designated by the user, and transmitting the instruction information to the control device via the communication unit. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, technology can be improved to allow a user to smoothly enter a seat of a vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a seat of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 11 is a diagram for explaining slide information output to a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0010] 1, a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control device 10, a vehicle 20, and a terminal device 30. The devices are communicatively connected to each other via a network 40 including, for example, the Internet.

[0011] The control device 10 is installed in a facility such as a data center, etc. The control device 10 is, for example, a server belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system.

[0012] The vehicle 20 is any type of automobile, such as a gasoline vehicle, a diesel vehicle, a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), a HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or a FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle). The vehicle 20 may be capable of moving by autonomous driving. The autonomous driving includes, for example, levels 1 to 5 defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), but is not limited to these, and may be defined arbitrarily.

[0013] The terminal device 30 is held by a user. The terminal device 30 is, for example, a mobile device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet, or a PC. "PC" is an abbreviation for personal computer.

[0014] The network 40 includes the Internet, at least one WAN, at least one MAN, or a combination thereof. "WAN" is an abbreviation for wide area network. "MAN" is an abbreviation for metropolitan area network. The network 40 may include at least one wireless network, at least one optical network, or a combination thereof. The wireless network is, for example, an ad-hoc network, a cellular network, a wireless LAN, a satellite communication network, or a terrestrial microwave network. "LAN" is an abbreviation for local area network. The network 40 may include a CAN (Controller Area Network), etc.

[0015] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. The terminal device 30 communicates with the control device 10 that controls the vehicle 20. The terminal device 30 acquires slide information indicating whether or not at least one of the seats 27 of the vehicle 20 can slide, outputs the slide information, accepts a user's designation of a seat 27 to be slid among the at least one of the seats 27, generates instruction information instructing the user to slide the seat 27 designated by the user, and transmits the instruction information to the control device 10.

[0016] The slide information is information indicating whether or not each seat 27 equipped in the vehicle 20 can be slid. Sliding the seat 27 includes moving the seat 27 forward and backward. In this embodiment, the user is a person who slides the seat 27 equipped in the vehicle 20 forward and attempts to get into the seat 27 behind the slid seat 27. The user is not limited to this, and may be a person who slides the seat 27 backward and attempts to get into the seat 27 behind the slid seat 27. The user is not limited to the person who will get in, but may be a person who slides the seat 27 of the vehicle 20 for another person who will get in. According to this embodiment, the user can grasp in a list the seats 27 that can be slid among the seats 27 of the vehicle 20 displayed on the terminal device 30, and specify the seat 27 that he or she wants to slide. Instruction information is transmitted from the terminal device 30 to the control device 10, and the control device 10 controls the vehicle 20 to slide the specified seat 27. This allows the user to smoothly get in behind the slid seat 27. Therefore, technology can be improved to allow a user to smoothly enter a vehicle seat.

[0017] Next, the configuration of the control device 10 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 1. The control device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13.

[0018] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination of these. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. "CPU" is an abbreviation for central processing unit. "GPU" is an abbreviation for graphics processing unit. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA or ASIC. "FPGA" is an abbreviation for field-programmable gate array. "ASIC" is an abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit. The control unit 11 executes processing related to the operation of the control unit 10 while controlling each part of the control unit 10.

[0019] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. "RAM" is an abbreviation for random access memory. "ROM" is an abbreviation for read only memory. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. "SRAM" is an abbreviation for static random access memory. "DRAM" is an abbreviation for dynamic random access memory. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. "EEPROM" is an abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read only memory. The storage unit 12 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores information used in the operation of the control device 10 and information obtained by the operation of the control device 10. For example, the storage unit 12 may store a system program, an application program, a database, etc. The information stored in the storage unit 12 may be updated with information acquired from the network 40 via the communication unit 13.

[0020] The communication unit 13 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface, a LAN interface, or an interface compatible with a mobile communication standard such as LTE, 4G, or 5G. "LTE" is an abbreviation for Long Term Evolution. "4G" is an abbreviation for 4th generation. "5G" is an abbreviation for 5th generation. The communication unit 13 receives data used in the operation of the control device 10, and transmits data obtained by the operation of the control device 10.

[0021] The configuration of a vehicle 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0022] The vehicle 20 includes a control unit 21, a memory unit 22, a communication unit 23, an input unit 24, an output unit 25, a sensor unit 26, and a seat 27. The components of the vehicle 20 are communicatively connected to each other via, for example, a dedicated line.

[0023] The hardware configurations of the control unit 21, the storage unit 22, and the communication unit 23 of the vehicle 20 may be similar to the hardware configurations of the control unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the communication unit 13 of the control device 10, respectively. Descriptions thereof will be omitted here.

[0024] The input unit 24 includes at least one input interface. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, a touch screen integral with a display, or a microphone. The input unit 24 accepts an operation to input data used for the operation of the vehicle 20. The input unit 24 may be connected to the vehicle 20 as an external input device instead of being provided in the vehicle 20. As a connection method, any method such as USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used. "USB" is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. "HDMI (registered trademark)" is an abbreviation for High-Definition Multimedia Interface.

[0025] The output unit 25 includes at least one output interface. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display. "LCD" is an abbreviation for liquid crystal display. "EL" is an abbreviation for electro luminescence. The output unit 25 outputs data obtained by the operation of the vehicle 20. The output unit 25 may be connected to the vehicle 20 as an external output device instead of being provided in the vehicle 20. As a connection method, any method such as USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used.

[0026] The sensor unit 26 includes a seat sensor that detects whether or not a person is sitting in each seat 27 of the vehicle 20, a camera that captures images of the interior of the vehicle 20, etc. The sensor unit 26 outputs detected information to the control unit 21.

[0027] At least one seat 27 is provided inside the vehicle 20. A plurality of rows of seats 27 may be provided. At least a portion of the seat 27 of the vehicle 20 can be slid in the front-rear direction by a motor. The motor is driven by a control signal from the control unit 11.

[0028] The configuration of a terminal device 30 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0029] The terminal device 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, an input unit 34, and an output unit 35. The hardware configurations of the control unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the communication unit 33 of the terminal device 30 may be similar to the hardware configurations of the control unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the communication unit 13 of the control device 10, respectively. The hardware configurations of the input unit 34 and the output unit 35 of the terminal device 30 may be similar to the hardware configurations of the input unit 24 and the output unit 25 of the vehicle 20, respectively. The description here will be omitted.

[0030] The functions of the control device 10, the vehicle 20, and the terminal device 30 are realized by executing a program according to this embodiment in a processor corresponding to the control unit 11 of the control device 10, the control unit 21 of the vehicle 20, or the control unit 31 of the terminal device 30. That is, the functions of the control device 10, the vehicle 20, or the terminal device 30 are realized by software. The program causes a computer to execute the operation of the control device 10, the vehicle 20, or the terminal device 30, thereby causing the computer to function as the control device 10, the vehicle 20, or the terminal device 30. That is, the computer functions as the control device 10, the vehicle 20, or the terminal device 30 by executing the operation of the control device 10, the vehicle 20, or the terminal device 30 in accordance with the control program.

[0031] The program can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. In this embodiment, the non-transitory computer-readable medium is a ROM. Non-transitory computer-readable media include, for example, a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, and a magneto-optical recording medium. The program is distributed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM on which the program is stored. "DVD" is an abbreviation for digital versatile disc. "CD-ROM" is an abbreviation for compact disc read only memory. The program may be distributed by storing the program in the storage of a server and transferring the program from the server to another computer. The program may be provided as a program product.

[0032] A computer temporarily stores a program stored in a portable medium or transferred from a server in a main storage device. Then, the computer reads the program stored in the main storage device with a processor and executes processing according to the read program with the processor. The computer may read the program directly from a portable medium and execute processing according to the program. The computer may execute processing according to the received program each time a program is transferred from the server to the computer. Processing may be executed by a so-called ASP-type service that realizes functions only by execution instructions and result acquisition without transferring a program from the server to the computer. "ASP" is an abbreviation for application service provider. Programs include information used for processing by a computer and equivalent to a program. For example, data that is not a direct command to a computer but has the property of defining computer processing falls under " equivalent to a program.

[0033] Some or all of the functions of the control device 10, the vehicle 20, or the terminal device 30 may be realized by a programmable circuit or a dedicated circuit as the control unit 11, the control unit 21, or the control unit 31. In other words, some or all of the functions of the control device 10, the vehicle 20, or the terminal device 30 may be realized by hardware.

[0034] The operation of the system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4. Among these operations, the operation of the terminal device 30 corresponds to the method according to this embodiment. In the following, the control device 10 transmits and receives information to and from external devices via the communication unit 13 and the network 40. The vehicle 20 transmits and receives information to and from external devices via the communication unit 23 and the network 40. The terminal device 30 transmits and receives information to and from external devices via the communication unit 33 and the network 40.

[0035] In S1 of FIG. 2, the control unit 21 of the vehicle 20 transmits obstacle information indicating obstacles that hinder the slide for each of the plurality of seats 27 equipped in the vehicle 20 to the control device 10. In this example, the control unit 21 acquires information detected by the sensor unit 26 as the obstacle information. For example, the control unit 21 acquires information indicating whether or not a person is sitting in each seat 27, detected by a seat sensor as the sensor unit 26, as the obstacle information. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing seats 27A to 27F as the plurality of seats 27 of the vehicle 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 20 has seats 27A to 27F arranged in three rows of two seats each. For example, it is assumed that the sensor unit 26 detects that people are sitting in seats 27A and 27C among the seats 27A to 27F equipped in the vehicle 20. The sensor unit 26 outputs information indicating the detection result to the control unit 21. The control unit 21 acquires the information as obstacle information indicating that there is an obstacle that may impede the slide between the seats 27A and 27C, and transmits the information to the control device 10.

[0036] Any method may be used to acquire the obstacle information. For example, a camera serving as the sensor unit 26 outputs an image of the interior of the vehicle 20 to the control unit 21. The image may include a person sitting in each seat 27, the seat surface of each seat 27, or an object placed at the feet. The feet of the seat 27 refers to an area that is at least partially covered by the seat 27 when the seat 27 slides. The control unit 21 may acquire the image as the obstacle information.

[0037] In S2, the control unit 11 of the control device 10 receives and acquires obstacle information from the vehicle 20.

[0038] In S3, the control unit 11 generates slide information indicating whether or not at least one of the seats 27 can be slid, based on the acquired obstacle information, among the plurality of seats 27. The slide information may further include information indicating the direction in which the slide is possible, etc.

[0039] For example, when the obstacle information is an image, the control unit 11 may analyze the image using any image analysis technology to generate slide information. First, the control unit 11 analyzes the image to determine whether there is an object on the seat surface or at the feet of the seat 27. When it is determined that there is no object on the seat surface or at the feet of the seat 27, the control unit 11 generates slide information indicating that the seat 27 can slide. When it is determined that there is an object, the control unit 11 generates slide information indicating that the seat 27 cannot slide. When the control unit 11 determines by image analysis that an object on the seat surface or at the feet of each seat 27 shown in the image is smaller than a predetermined size, the control unit 11 may generate slide information indicating that the seat 27 can slide. For example, when the control unit 11 determines by image analysis that an object on the seat surface or at the feet of each seat 27 shown in the image is a predetermined object, the control unit 11 may generate slide information indicating that the seat 27 can be moved. The predetermined object includes, for example, an object that is unlikely to be damaged even if the seat 27 is moved, such as a mat placed on the seat surface or at the feet of the seat 27.

[0040] For example, the slide information may include information indicating a seat 27 that does not have a slide function, such as the rearmost seat 27. In this case, when the control unit 11 receives the obstacle information, the control unit 11 may also acquire information indicating the vehicle model of the vehicle 20. The control unit 11 refers to a database indicating the slide functions of the seats 27 for each vehicle model, and generates slide information including information indicating the seats 27 that do not have a slide function among the seats 27 of the vehicle 20. The database may be stored in advance in the storage unit 12. Thereby, when the slide information is displayed on the terminal device 30 as described below, whether or not the seats 27 that do not originally have a slide function can be slid is not displayed, making it possible to avoid presenting unnecessary information to the user.

[0041] In this example, the control unit 11 generates slide information indicating that, of seats 27A to 27F of the vehicle 20, seats 27A and 27C cannot slide, but seats 27B and 27D can slide, and includes information indicating the rearmost seats 27E and 27F as seats 27 that do not have a sliding function.

[0042] In S4, the control unit 11 transmits the generated slide information to the terminal device 30.

[0043] In S5, the control unit 31 of the terminal device 30 receives and acquires slide information from the control device 10.

[0044] In S6, the control unit 31 outputs the acquired slide information via the output unit 35. If the slide information includes information indicating a slidable direction, etc., the control unit 31 may also output this information together.

[0045] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of slide information displayed on the output unit 35 of the terminal device 30. As shown in Fig. 4, the output unit 35 displays the characters "NG" for seats 27A and 27C among seats 27A to 27F of the vehicle 20, indicating that they cannot be slid, and displays the characters "OK" for seats 27B and 27D, indicating that they can be slid. No characters are displayed for seats 27E and 27F, which are the rearmost seats. By looking at the display on the output unit 35, the user can grasp at a glance which seats 27 can be slid.

[0046] In S7 of FIG. 2, the control unit 31 receives the user's designation of the seat 27 to be slid via the input unit 34, and generates instruction information instructing the user to slide the designated seat 27. The control unit 11 may receive the designation of a plurality of seats 27. In this example, when the user selects the target seat 27 among the seats 27 with the character "OK" displayed on the output unit 35 of FIG. 4 and then selects the button G with the character "Execute", the control unit 31 receives the designation by the user and generates instruction information. When the control unit 11 receives the designation of the direction in which the seat is slid from the user in addition to the designation of the seat 27, the control unit 11 may generate instruction information including information indicating the direction. In this example, it is assumed that the user selects and designates the seat 27D, which is the seat 27 in front of the seat 27F and has the character "OK" attached thereto, as the target of the slide in order to get on the seat 27F. The control unit 11 generates instruction information to slide the seat 27D.

[0047] In S8, the control unit 31 transmits the generated instruction information to the control device 10.

[0048] In S9, the control unit 11 of the control device 10 receives and acquires instruction information from the terminal device 30, and generates a control signal for controlling the vehicle 20 based on the acquired instruction information. In this example, the control unit 11 generates a control signal related to control for sliding the seat 27D of the vehicle 20.

[0049] In S10, the control unit 11 transmits a control signal to the vehicle 20.

[0050] In S11, the control unit 21 of the vehicle 20 receives and acquires a control signal from the control device 10, and performs control to slide the seat based on the acquired control signal. In this example, the control unit 21 outputs the control signal to the motor of the seat 27D, thereby performing control to slide the seat D by driving the motor. Thereafter, the operation of the system 1 ends.

[0051] As described above, the method according to the present embodiment is a method executed by the terminal device 30 including the input unit 34, the output unit 35, the communication unit 33 that communicates with the control device 10 that controls the vehicle 20, and the control unit 31, and includes the following steps: the control unit 31 acquires slide information indicating whether or not at least one seat 27 among the multiple seats 27 equipped in the vehicle 20 is capable of sliding via the communication unit 33; outputs the slide information via the output unit 35; accepts, via the input unit 34, a user's designation of the seat 27 to be slid among the at least one seat 27; generates instruction information instructing the user to slide the seat 27 designated by the user; and transmits the instruction information to the control device 10 via the communication unit 33. According to the present embodiment, the user can designate a seat that is certainly capable of sliding and slide it before getting into the vehicle 20. Thus, the technology that enables the user to smoothly get into the seat of the vehicle can be improved.

[0052] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, two or more blocks shown in the block diagram may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Instead of executing two or more steps shown in the flowchart in chronological order as described, they may be executed in parallel or in a different order depending on the processing capacity of the device executing each step, or as necessary. Other modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1 System 10 Control device 11 Control section 12 Storage section 13. Communications Department 20 Vehicles 21 Control section 22 Memory section 23 Communications Department 24 Input section 25 Output section 26 Sensor section Seats 27, 27A~27F 30 Terminal Equipment 31 Control Unit 32 Storage section 33 Communications Department 34 Input section 35 Output section 40 Network

Claims

[Claim 1] A method executed by a terminal device including an input unit, an output unit, a communication unit that communicates with a control device that controls a vehicle, and a control unit, The control unit: Acquiring slide information indicating whether at least one of a plurality of seats provided in the vehicle is capable of sliding via the communication unit; outputting the slide information via the output unit; receiving, via the input unit, a user's designation of a seat to be a slide target among the at least one seat; generating instruction information for instructing a slide of the seat designated by the user; transmitting the instruction information to the control device via the communication unit; A method comprising:

Images